Willie Desjardins will have some familiar faces around him when he begins his first-ever NHL coaching gig in Vancouver this fall.

On Wednesday, the Canucks signed former Dallas center Dustin Jeffrey. The move reunites Jeffrey with Desjardins, his coach in AHL Texas — Jeffrey split last year between the NHL and AHL but played a key role in Texas’ Calder Cup championship, scoring seven goals and 12 points in 19 playoff games.

The Jeffrey acquisition follows earlier, and similar, moves from new GM Canucks Jim Benning. Prior to the NHL Entry Draft, Benning acquired Derek Dorsett from the New York Rangers — Desjardins coached Dorsett for three years in WHL Medicine Hat — then, on the second day of the draft, Benning went out and acquired Linden Vey from the Los Angeles Kings.

Vey and Desjardins have quite the history together from their time in Medicine Hat. After two years under Desjardins, Vey scored a whopping 116 points in 2010-11 — the most points scored by a Tiger in over 15 years. Vey finished as the Western league’s top scorer (ahead of Tyler Johnson, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ryan Johansen) and was named a first-team all star.

In short, ex-Desjardins players looking for work might want to give Vancouver a call.

In addition to Jeffrey, the Canucks also signed a pair of former OHL standouts in Cal O’Reilly and Bobby Sanguinetti on Wednesday. O’Reilly joined Vancouver’s AHL affiliate in Utica last year after leaving the KHL, scoring 45 points in 52 games for the Comets; Sanguinetti, the 21st overall pick at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, spent last year with KHL Moscow Oblast Atlant and had seven points in 15 games.

More like the AHL Comets. We’ve already got 10 forwards under contract, plus RFA Kassian and now apparently Vrbata if what’s being reported is correct. That’s a full four lines even without any prospects stealing a roster spot. Not saying we won’t suck next season but it won’t have anything to do with these pickups. These guys are all AHL depth or replacement guys.